Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
by Benson007
Summary: This Olivia Benson/Alex Cabot one shot is dedicated to the victims, the fallen heroes, and their families of 9/11.


**Author's Note:**

**Of course I don't own the characters. Only Dick Wolf and NBC own them. However, if I did, Olivia would've stayed as Butch Benson, not Barbie Benson (no offense, folks!), and the Olivia/Alex lesbian relationship would've existed on the air.**

**September 11, 2001**

**7:43 am**

Detective Olivia Benson couldn't be anymore comfortable than snuggling with ADA Alexandra Cabot in bed. The two lesbian lovers had a long, pleasant night: going out to eat in one of the expensive Italian restaurants, seeing the latest blockbuster film in theatres, and best of all, making sweet, passionate love in the detective's apartment. As Olivia wrapped her arms tighter around the ADA's lower back, the clock alarm gave out a loud buzz. She would've pressed the Snooze button if Cragen didn't want her in any earlier.

'_Ugh…I don't want to go to work.' _she thought.

Resting on top of Olivia, Alex hugged her tight one more time, forcing her to stay in bed for a little longer.

"Sweetheart, do you have to?"

"Yes, Alex, I'm sorry. I really want to stay in bed with you forever, but Captain wanted me in around after 8."

Alex released the tight grip and rolled over to her side as Olivia got her sluggish body up. With disappointment in her sleepy blue eyes, she watched Olivia getting dressed. Olivia crept closer to Alex and placed both of her soft hands on the ADA's face.

"However, if both of us are off shift early, we can… you know, do that again?"

Alex's face turned from disappointment to happiness. "I wouldn't miss that in the world."

"Great!" Olivia grabbed her watch and her car keys from the night table. She realized that Alex didn't get up. "Lexi, aren't you suppose to be getting ready for work?"

"Actually, I don't start work til 8:30."

"Oh, okay. Makes sense." The butch detective clipped her gun and badge on her belt and looked at the time. "I got to head off. Don't forget to lock up my apartment."

"Don't worry, Livi. Be safe."

Olivia sat down on her bed and looked deeply into her blue eyes. "I will, Lexi-loo." She gave Alex a long passionate kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Olivia smiled and waved good bye before closing her bedroom door. For her, it's going to be another long typical day.

**8:12 am**

"Good morning, Fin. Good Morning, Munch."

The two male detectives stopped from what they were doing and greeted Olivia.

"You seemed to be well relaxed," Fin started.

"And happier too," Munch added. "Did you do something… fun?"

Olivia giggled and shook her head at the same time. "I guess it's from a good night sleep that I desperately needed." She looked around and noticed that her partner was not here. "Hey, where's Elliot, by the way?"

"He came down with a cold… who knows when he'll be back." He glanced at his watch. "C'mon, Fin, we got to go to court and get this over with."

"Or else Judge Petrovsky will send us to jail for not showing up?"

Olivia giggled again, this time by Fin's answer. "Okay, guys, have fun!" She took a bite out of her morning bagel.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Munch replied, sarcastic as usual. After they left the building, SVU's Captain Cragen entered the room in a hurry.

"Hey Liv."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Listen, I want you to make a trip to the World Trade Center, North Tower."

"Sure thing. Why?"

"One of the employees who work on 79th floor got raped and assaulted around eight hours ago. Couple of witnesses found her unconscious just a few hours ago. She's recovering from head injuries in the hospital right now. I want you to interview the people who worked with the victim as well as the people who found her, just to see if there's anything that might help solve the case faster."

"Not a problem. All I need are their names and which floors they're on."

"That's already done." Cragen handed the folded piece of paper to the detective.

"Thanks". She sipped down the last portion of coffee and left the squad room.

**8:32 am**

The brunnette entered the North Tower, flashing her badge at the security guards as she made her way into elevator. Half dozen other employees joined in before the doors shut tight. Olivia pressed the number 79 and the crowded elevator started to move up.

**8:44 am**

After the long wait was over, the detective and two other people stepped out of the elevator. Before Olivia was about to question people, she unfolded the paper and scanned the names.

"You must be the detective?"

Olivia turned and looked at the young female employee. "Yes, I'm Detective Benson. I'm here about a rape crime that occurred here last night. Do you know anything about this?"

She was right about to answer until there was a loud explosion coming from above. The entire North Tower shook, like it was an earthquake. Everyone got knocked down, all the lights went off, and little bits of smoke filled up the room. There was confusion among them. People screamed when large chunks of debris fell on the floor. Some were yapping on their cell phones, others got into an argument. While everybody went into a panic mode, Olivia snatched out her walkie talkie.

"SVU portable to central!"

Finally, there was a response. "Go ahead, SVU portable."

"This is Detective Olivia Benson, 4015. There was a loud explosion coming from the World Trade Center, North Tower, just about fifteen to twenty floors above. I'm on 79th floor along with a group of eighteen to twenty three people. Alert the bus and the fire department!"

"Roger that, 4015. Help is on the way."

As she putted back her walkie talkie, people were still panicking. The detective couldn't take the chaos anymore.

"NYPD… NYPD!" she yelled, holding up her badge in front of the frightened group. The noise finally died down.

"What the hell just happened?" one man asked.

"I don't know. It could've been a minor accident above us… hopefully not a serious one," Olivia replied soothingly.

The younger woman spoke up, "Or… a bomb?"

The group whispered furiously about the possible suggestion. Olivia raised her voice, "Everybody, listen up!" They all turned back to her.

"Fighting and screaming is not going to help us get out of the building any sooner. If we want to make it out of her alive, you must follow my orders." Olivia scanned around the building to find a possible escape route. "Now, I'm going to find a safe way for us to evacuate. Please walk into this room and stay together in this room at all times. Understood?"

They all nodded in agreement and followed Olivia into the nearby room located in the far corner. Olivia shut the door and continued, "However, if anybody like rescuers came to get you, please follow their commands. Sit tight and remain calm. I'm going to find any more survivors before finding the emergency exit. I'll be back as soon as I could."

"Officer?" Another man asked.

"Yes?"

"There are three emergency stairwells, stairwells A, B, and C. They're pretty much located in the middle of the tower. We're not too far off from them."

She thanked the man and closed the door behind her. She turned right and walked cautiously into the dark, clouded hallway. The detective prayed that the stairwells will still be accessible for the escape to freedom.

**8:53 am**

Alex Cabot sat there in her office, filling in the paperwork about her current case until Judge Elizabeth Donnelly stepped into the room.

"Alex, tune into channel 9 news. You got to see this."

The confused blonde ADA was about to ask her why but the judge left straight away. She turned on the tv set… and couldn't believe of what she's seeing on MSNBC.

"We have a breaking news story to tell you about… apparently a plane has just crashed into the World Trade Center here in New York City. It happened just a few moments ago. We have very little information available at this point of time…"

In complete shock and fear, Alex could not get her head straight. The first thing she thought was her girlfriend.

"_Gotta call Livi,"_ she thought.

Alex quickly dialed Olivia's cell number. It rang a couple of times until it went to voicemail.

'_Oh no, please don't tell me…'_

Alex tried again but it ended up with the same result. She dialed Olivia's business number… then her home number. Unfortunately, no one picked up. Alex got a horrible, ugly feeling about this.

'_Fuck!'_

Then she decided to phone Captain Cragen. It took about a couple rings to reach him.

"Alex, I'm sorry but I don't have time to talk."

"Cragen, just tell me if the detectives are in the precint right now."

The captain fell into dead silence. He knew exactly what Alex was talking about.

"Cragen? Are you there?"

"One of my best detectives is in the North Tower at this instant," he sighed.

Alex started to worry even more.

"Captain," she spoke silently, "Who is in the North Tower?"

"I don't know if I should say this—"

"Please, just tell me who!"

Again, Cragen fell into dead silence. Although he doesn't know that Olivia and Alex are currently in a sexual relationship, he did knew that they've been close friends for quite sometime. He had no choice, but to confess. "Detective Benson."

The way he came out to Alex, it was like a powerful kick in the gut. Alex felt like that she was going to have a mental breakdown in the middle of a phone call.

"Are you kidding me?! She's in the building… by herself?!"

"Please calm down, Counselor! I'm doing everything I could under my power to rescue Olivia and several other civilians trapped in the North Tower." The captain can hear her breaking down into soft sobs on the other line. He didn't mean to snap back at the ADA he currently works for. He decided to give Alex some comfort. "Olivia is a very smart and tough detective. I am very positive that she will find a way to survive this in any way she can."

"You… you really think so?"

"Alex, I believe so. For now, go home and get some rest. I'll call you if there's any updates."

"Thank you, sir… bye." As Alex hung up, more tears streamed down alongside her face. She wasn't just worried about Olivia, but hundreds of other people too. All Alex could do was pray and hope for the best for her lover and the victims.

**8:56 am**

Within minutes, Olivia returned back to the group.

"Okay, guys, I found a way out. But just to let you know, it's not going to be easy."

"So which stairwell are we taking?" One woman asked.

"We're taking Stairwell C. It's the only way out, even though it's covered with debris."

"What happened with Stairwells A and B?" Another woman asked.

"Due to the major shockwaves, it destroyed the first two stairs." Olivia glanced at her watch. "Now, I don't know how stable the building is. Who knows what will happen next so let's move."

The whole group lined up one by one and followed Olivia into the hallway and all the way to the emergency stairwells. Olivia gestured them down the flight of stairs. Instead of joining them along, she decided to go to the opposite way. "Guys, can you get down the building alright without me?"

Confused by her question, they glanced at each other, then at the detective. They all asked her why.

"The survivors above us might be in serious trouble. They need my help. I hope you all know how to exit the building without any problems…"

"Don't worry, officer," the older man spoke up, "I've been working in the same tower for years and I've used the stairs before. I'll take charge."

Olivia gave out a slight smile as a sign of a thank you. As everybody began following their new leader down the stairs, she took her first few steps up the stairs. She turned on her phone and dialed Alex's number.

Meanwhile, back in the office, Alex packed up her belongings when her office phone went off.

"Hello?"

"Alex, it's me. I'm… I'm in a lot of trouble."

Relieved of hearing Olivia's voice, Alex nearly cried. "Oh my God, Livi! Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't know how many people got hurt… or killed. There was a big explosion in the North Tower. I have no idea what caused it."

Alex had no idea where to start. "Um… Olivia?"

"Yes?"

"It's worse than you think…"

Olivia never heard her partner talks like this before. "What do you mean?"

Alex really didn't want to stress Olivia out. "It's… well… um…"

"Alex, is there something that I should know?"

"Some random plane crashed into the North Tower..."

Olivia stopped immediately on the stairwell. "What?!"

"A fucking plane just crashed into the building! The North Tower is on fire… there's… there's a huge amount of smoke coming out!"

"Alex, is this true?!"

"Yes, it's true! I'm watching the whole thing on the tv screen at this moment!"

The detective could not believe of what she heard. She was too stunned to speak. She just stood there in the middle of the aisles.

"Olivia? Are you still on the line?"

"Yeah- yeah, I'm still on," she choked out.

"Listen, Olivia," Alex's voice dropped into a whisper, "You need to get the hell out of here."

"But there are about hundreds of people trapped in the building-"

"Olivia, I advise you, get the fuck out of here! Let the fire fighters handle this."

"Not until I help somebody, at least." She jogged up the stairs again until there was another boom, this time coming from the South Tower. The powerful shockwaves were moderately strong, strong enough for Olivia to get knocked off. Her phone flew off from her hand and is no where to be seen. She landed on her back on the floor with a hard thud.

"Olivia? Olivia, speak to me!" Alex cried. She turned to the tv and couldn't believe that the South Tower recently got hit. She removed her dark rimmed glasses and covered her face with her hands, thinking that this is all a bad dream.

**9:05 am**

Olivia Benson's partner, Elliot Stabler stormed into the squad room. After making and receiving many phone calls, Cragen burst out of his office.

"Elliot, I didn't expect you to come."

"Captain, we got to save Olivia."

"Alex told you everything, didn't she?" he asked tiredly. "Benson alerted the fire men and the paramedics and they're already on their way. Fin and Munch were supposed to be on trial, but that got cancelled. They're helping other officers in the surrounding areas to clear the streets."

"I'll go and meet them there." As soon as Elliot left the room, Cragen got a call from his cell phone.

"Yes?"

"Have you spoken with Olivia?"

Cragen thought that he went over this with the ADA. "No, why?"

Fighting back her tears, Alex replied, "She called me. She won't leave the North Tower. She said that she'd rather help evacuate the people."

"What the hell is she thinking?! She's going to get killed for God's sake!"

"I tried convincing her to get out until… when…" Alex's voice turned into a whisper, "When the second tower got hit… and somehow I lost her."

"I'll get the situation under control," Cragen sighed. He hung up and called Elliot, alerting him more news about his partner. The tired captain definitely had enough on his plate.

'_Could this ever end?' _he thought.

**9:50 am**

Forty five minutes has passed. Approximately, 60 people were rescued from 79th floor to 82nd floor in a short period of time, all thanks to the SVU's Detective Olivia Benson. It was a long, nightmarish journey up the flight of stairs, but saving people's lives was totally worth it. Suffering only cuts and burns, Olivia was about to go up to 83rd floor until the group of fire fighters showed up.

"Detective?" The fire chief asked.

"Yes?"

"Your captain ordered you to evacuate the building."

"But there are still people up there-"

"Ma'am, you're not equipped to do this. You helped us out a lot by freeing civilians. Now it's our turn to take over," he said more forcefully.

At first, Olivia wasn't pleased of what she's hearing. She looked up the building, then at the firefighters. Then she thought, _'Well, I don't want to get involve in a stupid fight… I guess I have no choice but to back down." _After a short moment of thought, she finally decided to let them take over. While the firefighters rushed upstairs, one of them offered to lead her down to the ground level.

"Captain, the fire chief alerted us that Olivia is coming down from 82nd floor. It might be a long trip, but she should be meeting us soon," Elliot said to Cragen via phone.

"Well, at least that's positive news for a change. I'll tell Alex."

"Um… yeah… sure…" Elliot got a little distracted when he saw Alex walking in the streets. "Captain, I'll call you back."

Elliot rushed over to her. "Alex, what are you doing here? Didn't Cragen tell you to stay home?"

"I'm sorry, Elliot. I rather come out and see you. If I stayed home, I'll do nothing but cry."

"Well, I'll give you the good news for a change. Olivia is evacuating."

Alex almost got emotional by this. "She is? Oh thank God."

Elliot continued, "But you shouldn't be here out in the streets. Here, I'll give you a ride home."

Without saying a word, she shook her head in agreement. Elliot called over one of the officers nearby to fill in his spot as he and Alex walked over to his vehicle.

**9:57 am**

Olivia and the firefighter came down to 55th floor. As they walk down the zig zag stairs, they checked each room just incase if there are any survivors. It seemed like that the people already evacuated.

"Detective, I think they already left."

Olivia agreed, "Yeah, I believe so too."

They left the last room and proceeded on until they felt a tremulous rumble, this time more powerful. The hot smoke barrowed up the stairs and overwhelmed them. Both the detective and the firefighter stumbled down the aisles and didn't move for several seconds until the shaking died down. Located farther down, Olivia climbed back up and joined him. He tried to alert other firefighters, but no response came.

"I got to head up there and help my men out. The lower floors are not as rough as the upper ones we went through. Can you go on without me?"

Olivia nodded yes and immediately scrambled back down, this time alone. He took a long glance at her before he rushed upstairs.

"I— I can't believe that… the tower collapsed," Alex trembled. She and Elliot were sitting in the car, stuck in traffic jam. From where they were, they saw the whole thing. "I bet Olivia is scared out of her mind."

"But we don't know whether she's in the building or not. Either way, I'm sure she's fine." Elliot turned down the radio when his captain called.

"Elliot! Munch told me that you're taking Alex home. Are you guys all right?"

Elliot didn't expect Munch to say anything to Cragen. "Uh, yeah, we're fine."

"Where are you right now?"

"We're only a few blocks away from Alex's apartment. Did you contact Munch and Fin?"

"Yes, and they're alright as well. I'll keep in touch."

Elliot hung up and sighed. They waited in silence for the traffic to bulge.

**10:24 am**

At last, Olivia had made out of the North Tower and was finally on the ground. Engulfed in smoke from the fallen tower, Olivia gave out a couple of coughs. It was like a war zone in Lower Manhattan: the streets were covered with ash; injured people struggled to get by; cars, fire trucks, ambulances and police cruisers were crunched like toys; the remains of the South Tower were all spread out around and about along with the lifeless bodies. Olivia's body shuddered by that sight. Couldn't stand the smell of toxic waste, she covered half her face with her shirt and focused back to walking.

'_Don't look back…must go on.' _

Then she heard loud, unusual screams coming directly from behind her. The crowd fled past her away from the tower like never before. Olivia peaked over her shoulder and noticed that the North Tower was coming to an end.

'_Oh hell!'_

Once again, Olivia went from jogging to running at full speed for her life. Everywhere all around, people were getting hit by the ash cloud. Falling debris and poor visibility made it challenging for the weary detective and several others to flee. She had absolutely no idea of what direction she's going. The main thing she had to do was just run. All came to hell when she unexpectedly tripped and fell face down on the ground. Unable to get up in time, the debris hit her like cement, leaving her trapped. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, and she even couldn't listen. This time, Olivia was in serious jeopardy.

'_I guess it's the end… I'm finished,' _she thought. As consciousness drains away from her little at a time, her very last thought was Alex.

**2:00 pm**

"It's been three hours and a half since the North Tower collapsed and Olivia still hasn't called us!" Alex sat there in the couch in her own apartment with Elliot by her side. "I tried every way to contact her and there's nothing."

"Alex, we are not giving up on our search. We're doing everything we could to find Olivia. We notified the hospitals and NYPD, we checked Olivia's apartment. We even got rescue dogs to sniff her out."

Alex couldn't help but cry. Elliot wrapped his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Everything's going to be fine, Alexandra. Try to think that Olivia is out there somewhere, alive and well."

Out of nowhere, Elliot's phone rang again. He answered, "Stabler."

"Elliot, one of the rescue dogs sniffed Olivia out alive. The paramedics are taking her to the hospital immediately."

"Alright, we're on our way."

Alex glanced at Elliot. She wasn't sure whether it's good news or bad.

"Alex, Olivia is found alive. We're going to the hospital now."

**2:45 pm**

Alex and Elliot ran through the front doors, battling through the crowd along their way to the front desk. They never had seen the hospital that busy before but luckily it didn't take long for them to wait.

"I'm here for Olivia Benson," she said breathlessly.

"Yes, she was admitted and just got out of surgery not long ago. Are you a relation?"

Alex got uncomfortable by that type of question. "I… well… um…"

"All she's trying to say is that they're in a relationship," Elliot interrupted, giving Alex support.

"And you are?"

"I'm Detective Benson's partner, Elliot Stabler, Special Victims Unit" He flashed his badge at the nurse. "And this is our ADA Alex Cabot."

"Her surgeon is very busy fixing other patients right now. When she comes out, I'll let her know that you're here to see Ms. Benson. Please take a seat." She handed Alex a stack full of paperwork and a pen. They thanked the nurse and took the last chairs available. All they could do was just wait.

**5:50 pm**

It was more than three hours before a doctor emerged out of the doors. The nurse talked quietly to the doctor and slightly pointed at Elliot and Alex. She nodded to her and walked over to them. "I'm looking for Alex Cabot?"

Alex's head popped up and answered, "Yes, that's me."

"I need to talk to you about Olivia's conditions…"

Elliot walked away with his phone, leaving Alex alone with the doctor.

"So how is she?"

"I must admit, your friend is very lucky. I don't know how she survived when the tower collapsed. Anyway, we spent a fair amount of time putting the cast on her broken right leg. Since her right shoulder is dislocated, we added a sling for support. She had surgery on her left knee so we attached temporary pins just for now. We put her on an oxygen tank for a little while until her breathing started to improve. Other than those, she only has burns, scrapes and cuts mostly on her face, arms and legs, which are all sorted out by applying bandages on them. Ms. Benson would need to stay in the hospital for a few days until she is stable enough to come home, although she would have to come in for check ups in the near future, but it's just mostly for her knee. The nurses just finished scrubbing off dust and dirt off her by the time she woke up. Would you two like to see her?"

Elliot joined in with them and laid his hand on her back. "I'm sorry, Alex, but Kathy needs me. Plus, it's best if you visit her by yourself. She needs some peace."

"Okay, Elliot, see you later. Thanks for coming by." She gave out a sly smile.

Shortly after Elliot departed, Alex followed the surgeon through the crowded hall and up the hospital sterile. They reached the intensive care unit and room 412. "She's in here," she whispered gently. "My best advice is to give her all your love and affection as much as you can. Ever since she woke up, she's been awfully quiet." She gave her a loving pat on the back before she walked in the crowded hallway.

Alex entered the room in full silence, desperate to see her lover. She pushed back the privacy curtain and all she found was the beaten up detective, napping there in the hospital bed with her right leg in a cast bent at a forty degree angle. Resting on her stomach was her right arm in a navy blue colored sling. Alex walked closer and took a sit on the edge of her bed on the left side. Olivia can feel her partner's weight as she slowly opened her blackened eyes.

Fighting her tears back, Alex grasped Olivia hand into her own. "Oh Livi, you poor girl."

"Alex, I'm… I'm okay… I guess…" Olivia glared over at the window.

"Livi-loo, I'm just so glad that you're alive." She squeezed her hand tighter.

"But thousands of people aren't… felt like I didn't try hard enough saving everyone's lives." Still glancing at the window, tears started to emerge from Olivia dark brown eyes.

"Sweetheart, you rescued a lot of people… a lot more than I expected. Cragen told me earlier that survivors and their families already contacted him because they wanted to thank you personally. I could not imagine of what you went though."

For the first time ever, Alex finally saw Olivia crying her heart out. Alex leaned forward and hugged her. Trying to sooth her lover, she wiped tears off her face and smothered her with kisses. "Olivia," she murmured, stroking her short cropped hair in a loving manner, "That took a lot of courage to save that many lives in under an hour. Instead of turning back to save yourself, you continued helping others. I never met someone who is strong, powerful, and fearless. You're not a quitter, you're a fighter. You fight for what's right for you and everybody else. You have a big heart, detective. I'm glad that I'm dating somebody like you. I would always love you for who you are… always."

Alex's inspiring words brightened up Olivia. She was glad that Alex showed up in the hospital, just to be there to mend her broken heart. Her heart and soul may not be fully healed yet, but recovery might not take long since Alex will always be there for her.

"Alex?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"When I was buried underneath all that debris and rubble, my last thoughts were you. I remembered after winning a big case, we had dinner in one of our favourite Italian restaurants, and then we went up on the roof of the North Tower. The sunset was breathtaking; the streets of New York City were astonishing, and you never looked that beautiful in my entire life…" Olivia continued crying. "…I thought I was a goner."

"Shhh, sweetie. Please don't cry. You're here now, with me." Alex gave her a one long passionate kiss to calm her down. "I am not going anywhere. We're going to get through this, together, no matter what. You here me?"

Olivia responded in silence and squeezed her hand back. Alex kissed her again before climbing into bed with her lover. It didn't take long for them to drift off into a deep sleep due to exhaustion. That day on September 11th, 2001 would never be forgotten in the hearts of millions of Americans and billions of others around the world.


End file.
